中国城市化与环境质量研究

Urbanization and Environmental Quality in China:1995-2005

文章利用1995～2005年中国省级的工业污染数据对两种不同的观点进行了检验。结果发现,随着中国城市化水平的不断提高,工业污染会经历一个先上升后下降的倒U形路径。研究结果支持了城市化最终有利于城市环境质量改善的观点。城市化过程中工业污染得以集中,治污部门自身存在的递增规模收益使得污染物能在更高的集中水平上得到处理。因此,集中治理污染是提高城市环境质量的一个有效途径。

Using panel data of industrial pollution from 1995 to 2005 in China,this paper tests two competing views.The results show that along with urbanization,industrial pollution will experience an inverted-U shape route.Our investigation supports that urbanization favors environment once the pollution abatement achieves economy of scale.Industrial pollution could be concentrated during urbanization and industrial agglomeration,and the environmental protection department of the governments,which has the increasing returns to pollution abatement,could curb pollution at a higher concentration level.Therefore,concentrated pollution-abatement is an efficient way to improve urban environmental quality.